Positive Changes For 2016 & Beyond

After 3 years and 134 posts later, it has come to the time to press pause for a while on this blog as I am currently involved in many exciting projects. Fret not, this isn't the end - its closer to being the beginning... the beginning of many more exciting adventures!

Great food is still a love, passion and strong value of mine... now I just go about it in a slightly different way. 

I am spending more time focused on NLP coaching, helping individuals to create a loving relationship with both themselves and food. Helping them to create the changes inside out so that they can become the best example to their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. 

I'd like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for your support along the way, this blog will still be up for reference so you'll continue to have access to the 134 posts and recipes of great food!

Phew! ;-)

If you'd like to keep in touch and discover more about my current projects and how you can benefit and improve your well being in profound ways check out my current website here. 

Best Wishes,

Emma 

Metaphors: Encouraging Fussy Eaters

I came across an interesting article on PositivleyPositive.com the other day. A great read on how to help children talk about their feelings. A simple story of a mother and child sharing a moment of honesty to help resolve an argument (you can read the article using the link below).  

Metaphors are also a great way to teach children. Metaphors (a story with a parable) are used in NLP to help the unconscious mind unlock solutions and answers within which can help any given situation. The receiver becomes so wrapped up in the story that they don't realise there is a meaning and solution hidden in there. All is not lost though, the unconscious mind is paying attention and challenging situations and unhelpful habits can quickly be resolved. Here is a great one to use with children for healthy eating...

Here's a little story about Sue...Sue loves music. Everyone has certain types of music they like to listen to and Sue is the same. There is music to relax to, music to dance to, and music to cheer you up. Sue has just the right piece of music already for each of these things. 

She thought to herself one day, "It's funny how my brain knows without even thinking what my ears need to hear to make me feel a certain way". Sue then thought of a time when she heard a piece of music which she knew she didn’t want to listen to. It may have been a great piece of music by a fantastic singer, but it just didn’t settle well with her. She can often tell these tunes just by skimming through a music collection menu when deciding what to listen to. Sue trusts her senses and hears what they are saying. 

Sue now happily lives a healthy life enjoying a wide variety of music, knowing that her ears are receiving many different types of wonderful sounds. Sue also listens to new, unknown music every now and again, feeling excited at what wonderful things she may learn and experience. Some of her favourite songs today that she loves were once a new, unknown song for her in the past. Sue is very happy to have tried listening something new as she now dances to her new favourite song.

You needn't explain the metaphor, just notice what shifts may occur in your child being more open to trying new things and listening to what their body needs. They are a lot smarter than we give them credit for sometimes!

Article - Communication Tools To Help Kids Talk About Their Feelings

Watch This Space!

I am currently working on some very exciting new projects for My Fruit And Vegetable Friends...one being some brand new videos for this blog!

More useful tips and ideas coming your way...

Watch this space!

Tip #3:

So heres the 3rd tip for this months NLP theme on improving childrens diets...

Role Models

If you want to achieve a goal one of the best ways is to find a role model that has already achieved what you want to achieve and to notice what they did to achieve it. Model their behaviour.

How does this fit in with improving children's diets?

Find another friend or relative that has improved their children's diets and find out what they did...how did they behave, think, believe and feel in order to achieve their goal? What practical steps did they take? Do they have any useful tips and advice for you and your family?

Be curious, experiment with new ideas and enjoy seeing the healthy eating improvements unfold!

This also works the other way - children use adults as role models and if they are surrounded by a healthy eating family who enjoy good, home cooked food, and are able to explain the importance of good food in a fun and creative way them then they are likely to follow in their footsteps.

Children will have a very hard time believing that vegetables are good for them if the rest of the family is eating microwaved junk food and fizzy drinks!

Be that role model for your children.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi

There Is No Failure - Only Feedback

Tip #2: Congratulate yourself for persevering and learning something new from every situation. If you don't receive the results that you were hoping for, try something else.

Children are great examples of this, they will try all sorts of methods to influence you to buy that new toy or chocolate bar!

...asking politely, demanding it, having a tantrum, saying that their friends have it etc...

Flexibility and creativity are key

Be Flexible: Try a different method and see what happens, if they didn't like carrots cut into stick shapes, try them cut in flower shapes (see vegetable shapes post)

Be Creative: You know your children better than anyone so use that to your advantage, be creative in presenting vegetables in a way that will be appealing for them.

"If you always do what you've done, you'll always get what you've got"

Henry Ford

NLP - What is it and how can it help?

What is NLP?

NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming, and I often describe NLP by saying that it is a tool...a tool to understand any unhelpful patterns we may be creating unconsciously in our lives, and to enhance or alter our patterns of thought, behaviour and emotion so to become the best version of ourselves.

So what does NLP have to do with Fruit and Vegetables?

I wanted to share some NLP skills on this blog that can help improve situations with getting children to eat fruit and vegetables - NLP can be used in any situation, for anyone - not just in coaching sessions!

Not only will you be equipped with great recipes and food ideas, you will also know how to positively influence your children through the use of body language and words!

So here is the first tip...

Tip #1: Building Rapport

You cannot lead and positively influence your child if you do not have rapport with them. Rapport is a sense of trust, a common ground, a connection which can be increased by a few simple steps.

First, a few things to take into consideration when building rapport are…

Be genuine – If you’re not genuine they will pick up on it

Be curious – Ask them questions, find out who they really are and how their brain works

Step into their shoes - Aim to see the world from their point of view

Body Language - adopt an open posture, subtly matching and mirroring your child's body language.

This means if you want to talk to them about the importance of vegetables, get down to their level physically so you can communicate at eye level to gain better results. You will come accross as more welcoming, friendly and less threatening.

Notice how differently your child will react if you stand over them with your arms crossed compared to talking to them at eye level with a friendly expression and posture.

Voice And Language - adopt a friendly way of speaking, subtly matching and mirroring your child's voice and language.

This means if you want to talk to them about the importance of vegetables, use language that they understand and also deliver it in a way that they understand.

Notice how differently your child will react if you shout and demand that they eat their vegetables compared to using a similar pace, tone and words to what they use?

PACE: Start by aiming to see the world from their point of view

RAPPORT: Build rapport between you

LEAD: Now you have the opportunity to positively influence them

One more thing to mention is your state. You cannot positively influence your children if you are in a negative state, and by state I mean feeling unhappy, sad, angry or irritable.

93% of communication is non-verbal!

Notice how differently the each of following two examples play out...

a) Parent is feeling angry and irritable, because of this they may stand over their child and demand that they eat their vegetables, they may have also adopted a crossed arms posture or tapping their foot, a harsh tone of voice and stern words...how willing do you think the child is to cooperate in this situation?

b) Parent is feeling optimistic and motivated, because of this they may to get down to the child's eye level and explain why eating their vegetables are important, they also may choose to use words that the child understands, a friendly expression and acknowledge the child's feelings...how willing do you think the child is to cooperate in this situation?

Your thoughts→  Your behaviour/physiology→ Communicated to other

Whatever you think will be communicated to others on some level. By thinking positive thoughts you will start to feel more positive. By feeling more positive you will start to behave in a positive way through your choice of words and body language, therefore gaining a more positive reception from others.

Try it and see what happens!

A Different Approach

As you may already know, one of my other passions is NLP. During the week I coach people to realise their goals, help to remove limiting beliefs so they can begin achieving the life they have always dreamt of.

So how does this fit in with My Fruit And Vegetable Friends?

Over the month of April I will be posting tips and ideas on how to improve children's diets through the use of language, NLP skills and other valuable tips that I have picked up along the way.

So watch this space!